Codename Ovi: Tracing Alex Ovechkin's monumental pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's NHL goal record

By Jackson Weber

Modified Jan 30, 2025 18:31 GMT

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Moscow, a cold December evening, the wind slicing through the Red Square like a sharpened blade. Inside the Kremlin, a file is slid across a dark mahogany desk. A dossier marked "Codename: Ovi"— a classified mission for one man, a singular objective: take down a legend, a phenom known as ‘The Great One’ Wayne Gretzky. The target? 894 career goals. The agent? Alexander Ovechkin, the last of his kind.

And so, with the world watching, Agent Ovi stepped onto the ice, his weapon of choice—a composite Bauer gripped with the precision of a marksman, his mission clear. He was to hunt Gretzky’s record, one rocket of a shot at a time.

The Initiation: A Prodigy’s First Shot

Rewind to 2005. A lockout delayed his arrival, but nothing could stall destiny. The Washington Capitals had chosen their weapon—the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, a young Russian with fire in his stride and steel in his veins.

One wouldn’t be able to know with the way he dominated as a 20-year-old. The Great 8 ripped home 52 goals and 54 assists in his rookie season, the third most goals and points of any rookie in the history of the NHL.

And then came the goal that truly announced the 20-year-old’s arrival. Phoenix, 2006 against the Wayne Gretzky-coached Coyotes, twisting, falling, sliding on his back while swiping the puck into the net with a flick of his wrists—impossible, improbable, inevitable. A goal that left even “the Great One’ in awe.

The Golden Era: An Unstoppable Force

Between 2006 and 2011, the Great 8 brought misery to goaltenders across the league. Night after night on the power play, he unleashed his fury—a slapshot so lethal it became his signature, a one-timer from the left circle that goalies saw in their nightmares.

The Ovi one-timer had become one of the most unstoppable forces in sports. Like Gretzky in his office behind the net, or Lemieux on a breakaway, Ovechkin’s one-timer could not be stopped. Opposing teams stuck to Ovechkin like a shadow, but all he needed was the slightest glimmer of space and he’d wire the puck into the net.

Despite the goals, playoff success continued to elude Alex Ovechkin. Source: Imagn

During this reign, Ovechkin amassed five straight point-per-game seasons, three 100-point campaigns, and three more 50-goal years. The hardware piled up: Rocket Richard Trophies, Hart Trophies, and an Art Ross Trophy.

The Capitals became contenders, driven by their relentless Russian juggernaut. His battles with Sidney Crosby became the stuff of legends, two titans colliding, fighting for supremacy in the new NHL landscape.

Frustration and Fire: The Battles Lost

From 2012 to 2017, he continued his ruthless assault on the goal-scoring record, tallying three more 50-goal seasons, but success eluded him when it mattered most.

Despite Alex Ovechkin’s individual brilliance, he and the Caps were haunted by playoff failures. Upon his arrival, the Washington Capitals morphed into a perennial playoff team and a regular-season powerhouse. They made the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, though could never find a way to advance past the second round.

Perhaps the cruelest of defeats came at the hands of Sidney Crosby’s Penguins. Two of the Capitals’ second-round losses came at the hands of their biggest rivals. The Crosby-Malkin era saw the Penguins lay claim to three Stanley Cups since entering the league, adding more salt to the wound.

Doubt began to creep in. Was Ovechkin a regular-season marvel doomed to playoff futility? Was the weight of expectation beginning to destroy the invincibility of the Great 8?

Playoff breakthrough: A King Crowned

As the 2017-18 season arrived, Ovechkin, now battle-scarred but unrelenting, led the Capitals on the run of a lifetime.

Ovi had a massive bounce-back regular season, racking up 87 points (49 goals, 38 assists) and taking home his seventh Rocket Richard trophy. His goal-scoring excellence was unprecedented as no other player had won the award more than three times.

And then, at long last, the dragon was slayed — Crosby and the Penguins finally vanquished. With the Pens out of the way, it felt like destiny. The Capitals cruised all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals where they wrapped up the series beating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5. Alex Ovechkin put up the best playoff numbers of his career amassing 27 points (15 goals, 12 assists) in 24 games.

As the final horn sounded at the T Mobile Arena years of frustration melted away in the glow of lord Stanley. Ovechkin cemented his place as not just a prolific goal-scorer — but also a Stanley Cup champion. The gigantic monkey had been lifted off Ovechkin’s back.

The Final Mission: Catching a Ghost

With his Stanley Cup dream realized, one final task remained. By 2022, Ovechkin was up to 780 career goals, 114 away from Gretzky’s seemingly untouchable mark of 894. The whispers began—could he actually do it? At 37, he silenced skeptics with a 42-goal campaign, then another 33 at 38.

Now, in the 2024-25 season, the numbers are impossible to ignore. The Ovi goal tracker reads 875. Just 20 more to break the record.

A blistering start to the season saw him net 15 goals in 18 games, a pace befitting a man on a mission. But then, adversity struck—an injury, a broken fibula, sidelining him for 16 crucial games. Whispers began to creep in again, questioning whether the Great 8’s quest had met its reckoning.

Ovechkin responded as he always has—with goals. Seven since his return, inching ever closer to history. The countdown begins: 20 goals. 32 games. A pace of 0.625 goals per game.

Every goal he scores now ignites a firestorm of debate. Can he do it? Will Ovechkin reach the summit this season?

Wayne Gretzky’s records were supposed to be eternal, unbreakable testaments to a bygone era of offensive dominance. The final chapter is unwritten, the mission is not yet complete. The hockey world holds its breath, waiting for the moment the Great 8 fires one last shot into immortality.